Hello Families,

Happy winter again! I trust you had a good and fun weekend in the snow. It looks like we have a real mixed-bag of weather coming the next couple weeks. March is coming in like a lion -- let’s hope it goes out like a lamb!

Two more weeks until spring break. There are so many activities going on to wrap up this term. Please ensure you read your child’s agenda and updates from teachers. I am sure you are all getting excited for a break.

See below for this week’s update.

Have a great week!

Last week’s highlights include:

• Thank you for your support of our Gr. 4/5 in the Push-up Challenge for Mental Health! They raised $735 for the Canadian Mental Health Association. It was great to see them throughout the month of February doing push ups around the school!
• ADST challenges abound! So many classes have been engaging in ADST challenges. Gr. 2/3 students made marble runs and marshmallow catapaults, and Gr. 4/5 students challenged their problem solving skills with Touring Tumbles. They are looking forward to challenging off with their Blewett penpals next week!
• Check out a couple new blogs about what a couple of our classes have been doing:
  
  • Arctic Inquiry
  • Students Write for Home
• Pink Shirt Day – What a great celebration of Pink Shirt day last week. There were so many wonderful class conversations and activities. We had several classes perform at the assembly and it was so heartwarming to see everyone show up with kindness in their pink shirts. You can read more about our learning and celebration at this blog post
• Big thanks to our PAC for organizing a successful movie night on Friday. It sounds like it was a lot of fun and a great success.
• See below for some picture highlights of goings on around the school

A few pieces of information/reminders for you:

1. Term 2 Learning Updates (Previously known as report cards) – These will be issued in MyEd on Friday, March 8. There have been requests for more information about the format of these updates. Please see this blog post for more information.
2. Fresh to you Fundraiser! We are doing a “Fresh to you” fundraiser through the BC fruit and veggie program. It is a fundraiser where families can purchase bundles of fresh produce. We earn 40% on the profits, which will go directly to our school food program. Here is a link for information and to order. Please spread the word and feel free to send the link to family and friends. We need a minimum of 40 orders. Ordering is open until Wednesday March 13 and orders will be ready for pick up between April 9-19
3. Whitewater Ski day rescheduled – Unfortunately our Whitewater ski trip was cancelled last week, but we have rescheduled for March 14. More information to come from your teachers. Please note this day if your child is not participating as you will need to find alternate arrangements for that day.
4. Dress for the weather – With the unpredictable weather we have coming our way, please ensure your children are dressed for the weather each day and have some extra clothes tucked inside their backpack.  Having spare gloves, or jackets/splashpants helps as well.  Reminder that at this time of year, the weather can change throughout the day, so best to be prepared for anything!
5. Lost and Found – Please see this announcement for pictures of our lost and found. If you see something that is yours, or have a moment to drop by and look through, please come and take what belongs to your child(ren). We’d like to have this cleaned up by spring break, at which time we will be donating what is left.

Some upcoming dates (you can also find these posted on our calendar: https://southnelson.sd8.bc.ca/events/calendar)

1. March 6 – Shayna Jones presentation 1:20-2:20pm (parents welcome!)
2. March 8 – Learning updates issued
3. March 8 - Play in the K (for next year’s new K students)
4. March 14 – Whitewater skiing
5. March 15 – Gr. ½ TaeKwonDo showcase
6. March 16-April 1 – Spring Break/Easter
7. April 16 – Scholastic Book Fair
8. April 24/25 – Early dismissal days

Family learning resources:

Often as we head towards a break, children tend to become excited, anxious, and dysregulated. This is an important time to keep routine and consistency.

To help your child understand their emotions and how to get back to a place of learning and calm, you may want to learn about the Zones of Regulation. Often at school, we talk about being in the “green zone”, and how to get there if we end up in the “red zone”.

Here is a short video that you can watch as a family to learn about the different zones. This may help spark conversation about what your child needs most to function successfully in the “green zone”.

Have a great week,

Mrs. Snell